Beneath The Facade
by Isle Damsel
Summary: Chaos ensues when Rin follows Kagome into the well. During her stay, Rin makes a motherly connection with a family friend. When Rin is goes back, the her new found mother's hidden identity is revealed when she jumps through the well to search for Rin.


**Disclaimer: I do not in any way own any of the Inuyasha characters or the storyline itself. I give credit where credit is due. Rumiko Takahashi ****is a brilliant authoress and owns all of her plotlines and characters. Credits for Inuyasha also go to all the publishing companies of the manga, anime series, and other series memorabilia. This story was written purely for my own enjoyment with no intention of monetary gain.**

Authoress' Note: This is my first Inuyasha story and I would appreciate both praise and criticism. I would love any reviews on the progress of my storyline. Is it boring or exciting? I would also love reviews on my new character. Although I know her one scene in this chapter is short, I would still love to hear your first impression of her though.

Beneath the Façade

Chapter One

Kagome's Ideal and Rin's Pledge

"I said you're not going!"

"You can't stop me, you jerk!

"Annoying wench!"

"Insensitive Baka!"

Sango sighed heavily. "They'll never stop this will they?"

"I highly doubt it," Miroku confirmed from beside her.

"They've been doing this since we left the last village!" Shippo complained from atop Kilala.

"Did you expect anything different after all this time?" Miroku asked woefully.

The group was once again on their travels looking for Naraku. Of course, they weren't having much luck locating him. That was bugging Inuyasha. He couldn't smell the tyrant anywhere. His anger was further sparked when Kagome "reminded" him that she had to be home in two days. Of course, they had begun fighting over it and had continued ever since. After putting his food down, Inuyasha still found himself taking her to the well just like she wanted in the first place. Inuyasha, however, would not even allow himself to think why he was constantly doing as _she_ pleased. Let alone, allow himself to focus on the _real_ reason why he didn't want her to leave.

Kagome's reason for returning home this time was more than just a desire to see her family. Although, she really did miss them a great deal. This time there was, however, a specific reason that thrilled Kagome to the core. She had been looking forward to returning home for the past two months. Both excited and nervous, Kagome was now too lost in her own thoughts to even hear Inuyasha's angry triad.

She was intently debating on how to behave when she returned home. Leaving a poor first impression of herself could surely end all of Kagome's hopes. Her friends noticed her strange mood, but couldn't quite put their finger on why she was so dazed. The reason behind her surge of mixed emotions was a relatively simple one. Her mother's boss was coming to visit.

Most young women Kagome's age wouldn't even bat an eyelash at such an event; yet alone return home from an extremely important mission. Still, Kagome marched towards the well with her friends in tow. She power walked past beautiful meadows filled with flowers, trudged through lush forests, and barely greeted the mildly astonished villagers who normally found the pleasant young woman to be quite sociable. Even Kaede was perplexed by Kagome's distracted mood.

Truthfully, Kagome was both ecstatic and terrified. As strange as it would sound to most, her mother's employer was in fact one of her heroines. Her mother's employer was a lady by the name of Okita Hinata. While many employers seemed cold and uncaring, Hinata's employees seemed to almost adore their very animated boss. She was said to be very kind and fair. She was famous for her humanitarian work and promotion of education. She was well known for starting and funding several programs to help aid in education, especially for women. Still, this was not the reason why Kagome so admired her.

It was where she came from that excited Kagome. While no one knew the exact details of Hinata's childhood, she was undeniably as poor as they come. While she was still the perfect example of the classic story of poverty turning into wealth: this story had a twist. Hinata neither married up the social latter, nor did she find the perfect job. The earliest record the public had of her was as a young teenager sweeping hair off a salon floor. Along with working two other part time jobs, she worked in this hair salon not but a few months before it went into foreclosure.

Taking a chance, the emancipated minor bought the salon and there a legend began. Two years later, her success in her salon allowed her to add a nail section. Later, that success gave her the notion to add a permanent cosmetics area to her shop. Then, later she added a spa area and the expansions continued. Eventually, she opened a second shop. Then, she opened a third. Then, she opened a resort in Tokyo and later Kyoto. She even started to market everything from shampoo to permanent cosmetic ink developed by her personal team of scientists.

Her company's growth simply continued at an amazing rate until she was finally the sole owner of a beauty service empire. Though she had no need for it, she did go on to receive a college degree and continued to take classes simply to educate herself. In one television interview, Kagome heard her say that she knew that the public eye was watching her. Not wanting to disappoint, she was determined to provide young girls with an example of how far both hard work and education could take them.

Kagome had always dreamed of success like that. True, Hinata had made billions by this point, but Kagome was not that interested in the money. Hinata had spas everywhere from Japan to Brazil and traveled all over on regular basis. She had seen so many different cultures and been to so many different places. She gotten to experience and do more than Kagome ever had. Yet, Hinata was still very much human.

Hinata was very down to earth and lived very modestly. She flashed nothing that she had achieved at people and her chosen friends were very rarely from the "high end" of society. Kagome's mother had met her working as a secretary in one of Hinata's smaller shops. Hinata made regular visits to all of her worldwide spas and shops. Mom had just started working there when Hinata just happen to drop by on one of those surprise visits. She and Hinata had instantly connected and a close friendship had blossomed.

Hinata's visit to Kagome's house was not the first one. She had made Kagome's house a regular stop on her travels to Japan. Kagome's mom had even accompanied Hinata on several business trips. She and Hinata had even gone on several worldwide vacations together as well. Hinata had even accompanied Kagome's own family on their vacations. Why then, astonishingly enough, had Kagome never met Hinata?

Simply put: she has no life other than the feudal era. Ever. She hadn't even attended school at this point for nearly three weeks! Ironically enough, the only reason why she hadn't been thrown out of school, fake illness or not, was thanks to Hinata. Having been alerted to Kagome's supposed multiple illnesses, Hinata had used her influence to persuade the school to grant Kagome leniency. Technically, Kagome no longer even had to show up to class as long as the work was completed at home. The only thing she had to show up to school for were the actual exams.

Without Hinata's influence, Kagome would have been expelled and reported as truant. Kagome sighed.

'_I suppose that there are only so many times as student can be deathly ill,'_ Kagome though to herself.

Hinata, of course, was never told of the real reason why Kagome missed school so much. Only the immediate family knew the truth behind Kagome's triad of false illnesses. Although, many in the community did wonder how the family could afford all the hospital and doctor's bills. Kagome sincerely hoped that Hinata continued to take Kagome's poor health on good faith. It would be very bad if she ever checked the records or was alerted to the rare use of her company's insurance services. Hinata was certainly smart enough to realize something was up if the lack of Kagome's medical bills was ever discovered.

Although Kagome was really looking forward to meeting her idol, she was terrified of what could happen. Hinata, unlike so many other visits, was not staying in a hotel this time. For the first time in the fifteen-year process of building her empire, the thirty-one young business tycoon was taking a true vacation. For three months, she was staying in Kagome's house with what was probably her closest friend. For three months, Kagome had to hide her secret life from someone who was probably one of the most observant people on the planet. Wonderful.

Kagome sighed again.

Looking at her in concern, Kaede asked, "Does something trouble thee child?"

The sound of Kaede's voice made Kagome jump. Coming out of her daze, she realized that she was sipping tea with her friends in Kaede's hut. Kagome almost laughed at the bizarre looks on her friends were giving her. All of them were seated across the room staring at her intently. Suddenly, she felt something moving on her shoulder.

"We thought you'd never speak again! You looked like you been hypmotized!" Shippo dramatized happily.

"That's "hypnotized", Shippo," Miroku corrected with a smile.

"Whatever. Same difference," the young kitsue retorted as Kagome placed him in her lap.

"We were concerned," Sango agreed gently, "Is there something wrong?"

"She's probably just mad that she didn't get to stop an pick those stupid flowers," Inuyasha butted in roughly.

"I didn't want to pick flowers, Inuyasha! I wanted to take a rest!" a now alert Kagome boomed.

"Rest when you're dead! We've got things to do! Besides, you ain't the one carrying a huge boulder on your back!"

"What did say? Are you calling me fat, Inuyasha?"

"Well, you're not exactly dainty, you know!"

Turning red with fury, Kagome was about to yell "sit" when Inuyasha suddenly shot up from his position on the floor. Kagome began to get worried when she saw the serious expression on his face. Putting his hand to his sword, he ran through the door of the hut and came to a stop when he reached the bottom of the steps. Looking up to the sky, his serious expression turned to venomous anger. His friends ran out to stand behind him and followed his gaze up to the sky.

Seeing nothing, Kagome turned her head and saw Shippo sniffing the air while resting her shoulder. She asked, "What is it?"

"Sesshomaru," Inuyasha's voice stated dripping with venom.

'_Great!'_ Kagome thought. _'I may have to miss this visit, too. What excuse will mom come up with this time?'_

Sure enough, his prediction was correct. In a matter of seconds, a silhouette appeared over the horizon. Coming into focus, the silhouette was indeed Sesshomaru riding on his two-headed dragon. The onlookers below waited for his attack. Looking both rigid and regal, he surprised all those watching him as his stiff posture never changed as he soared over the village. Confused, the gang gathered below him could only stare as the dreaded warrior flew by. They wouldn't have believed that the silver-haired lord even knew they were there except for the icy stare he was sending them from the corner of his eye. Eyes flashing briefly, he turned his gaze forward once more and soared off into the horizon without a word.

"Where do you think he's going?" Miroku asked finally asked in a puzzled manner.

"He didn't look like he had any intention of fighting at all," Kagome marveled.

"He didn't," a voice on Inuyasha's shoulder suddenly responded.

Looking at his shoulder, Inuyasha smirked and said, "Well look who suddenly decided to show up _again_."

"Hello, Master Inuyasha. I have come with news about your brother. I was trying to find you," the old flea said.

"You were hiding again, you mean," Sango said pointedly.

"Should we expect anything else?" Shippo asked dryly.

"Hey, I just got here two seconds ago! I've been traveling!" Myoga defended himself.

"Well, what's going on then? I've never seen Sesshomaru pass up an opportunity for a fight," Inuyasha stated truthfully.

"He's on his way to his once in a century meeting," the flea stated as if everyone else should know this.

"His what?" Inuyasha asked confused.

"It is the meeting that all lords in his station must attend. All the main demon lords of this land gather together once every century to discuss everything from kingdom borders to treaties. It's almost like a customary check up if you will," Myoga explained.

"Is the meeting around here?" Sango inquired.

"Yes, it's actually only a few miles away. It's located in a mountain that is closed off to all except the lords though. It has a poison gas inside the cave that is dangerous to humans and demons alike. It has a swampy substance that can melt a being's very bones upon contact. No one dares to venture there but the ruling lords of this region."

"Well then, " Inuyasha said drawing his sword, "I guess it's time to go kill them while they're all in one spot."

"No, master!" cried the little flea. "You can't! You wouldn't even stand a chance!"

Inuyasha swiftly grabbed the flea's head and brought Myoga up to his own eye level.

"Are you saying that you think I can't defeat them?"

Shivering at Inuyasha's death glare, he responded desperately, "No! No! I know you can, but not all of them at once! They are the strongest demons by far! Not even you could defeat them all when they are together in a group. You'd have to fight them one on one!"

"He's right, Inuyasha. It wouldn't be wise," Miroku agreed.

"How many lords are there, Myoga?" Sango asked.

"Including Sesshomaru, there are five."

"That's a lot of scary guys. I think I'll wait inside the hut," Shippo said shaking slightly.

"Coward."

"Inuyasha!" Kagome scolded.

"Well fine then! If you're all too scared, then stay here and hide! I'm going!"

All at once Inuyasha's body felt like it was under water. No sooner had he started to move forward, then Kagome, Miroku, Myoga, and Shippo had latched onto him. Kagome and Miroku had grabbed onto both of his arms and Shippo had latched onto his right leg. Myoga was pulling on the collar of his jacket and begging him not to go. Sango, Kaede, and Kilala just watched them with wide eyes.

"What are you all doing?" Inuyasha demanded.

"We're trying to keep you from getting killed!" Kagome shouted.

"You're acting foolhardy, Inuyasha!" Miroku agreed.

"Yeah, you can't expect to defeat them all in a row!" Shippo echoed.

"Shut up! All of you! I didn't ask for your opinion!"

"Well, you're getting it whether you want it or not, buster!"

"Mind your own business, wench!"

"This is my business, jerk!"

"I agree with Inuyasha," Sango suddenly said causing everyone except Inuyasha to sweat drop and fall over.

"What?" three wide-eyed people asked.

"Inuyasha is right," Sango repeated, "The most power of demon warriors are finally in the same place. This is too good of an opportunity to pass up."

"That's a good point. Oh wait…. Except the part when we all die!" Shippo cried.

"Not necessarily," Sango said slightly calming him, "Myoga, you said that Inuyasha could take them on one at a time correct?"

"I see where you're going with this, Sango. Unfortunately, I doubt that these lords will want to fight Inuyasha one on one in a fair fight," Miroku reminded her.

"I agree," she replied, "They have to leave sometime though. The question is: will they leave all together or one by one?"

"Some of them may leave together. They mainly all despise each other though. So, most of them will be leaving alone!" Myoga informed them excitedly.

He hoped that this would pacify a certain spontaneous and rather temperamental master of his.

The suggestion kicking in, Inuyasha began to form a plan.

"Myoga," he declared, "When are they leaving that mountain?"

"I would say anywhere from three days to two weeks. The different lords leave at different times. It all depends on when they want to leave and how much business they had to discuss. Sometimes, your father would stay there for several weeks."

"Then, we'll watch and wait."

'_Wow. That sounded strange coming from Inuyasha. Maybe, he's maturing into a leader after all.'_ Kagome pondered mentally with a smile.

"Myoga, how well do you know the layout of that mountain?"

"Very well, master. I went with your father several times. I was never allowed inside the mountain of course. No one else is allowed inside but the lords themselves and their heirs. I know the area around it well though. Why?" he asked nervously knowing the answer.

A menacing grin spread across his master's face displaying his sharp fangs. "Cause' we're going to spy on those arrogant 'lords'. Then, we'll pick off one by one."

Rin sighed. Lord Sesshomaru had just left her alone with Jaken _again_. After simply stating, "wait here" once more, he had turned and marched off through the woods. She had asked Jaken where he had gone. Of course, she was met with a speech of how "it wasn't the business of a mere mortal girl" and zoned out as the little toad had gone on and on. She had eventually managed to find out that Lord Sesshomaru had gone to a meeting and that there was no telling how long it might last. Too bad. Rin was already getting bored.

Night had fallen not long after Lord Sesshomaru had left. Rin was supposed to be asleep now, but she was still wide-awake. Something was keeping her awake. She just couldn't figure out what it was. Suddenly, she her eyes flew open and she sat straight up in bed. She smelled something. As odd as it sounded, the smell was both calming and somehow almost familiar. Trying to obey Lord Sesshomaru, she lay back down and tried to sleep. She couldn't stop thinking about the sweet smell though. She was torn. She wanted to know what it was and why it was so familiar.

Then, she heard voices. She heard arguing. She laid there for a minute more. She rolled over on her left side to look for Jaken and Ah-Un. She could see from the dying embers of their fire that evening that both of them were sound asleep. Not being able to stand it another minute, she quietly got up and hurried off towards the arguing and the sweet smell. Jaken didn't even stir.

Rin continued to journey towards the sound of the arguing until she could no longer hear Jaken's loud snores. She went deeper and deeper through the woods. A few times she stared to get scared. A few times she thought that she someone watching her, but she realized that they were only shadows. She could swear that she heard footsteps though. Finally, she came to the end of the forest and realized where she was.

This was Inuyasha's forest. She was near the village where Inuyasha and his friends were.

'_Maybe I'll get to see them again!'_ she thought excitedly.

She liked Inuyasha and his friends. She especially liked spending time with Kagome and Sango. She loved traveling with Lord Sesshomaru, but she had to admit that more and more she did love spending time with other girls. She assumed it was because she was almost twelve. She didn't know why, but she felt different. More mature certainly. She also began to notice that Lord Sesshomaru had been more protective of her lately. While she knew no one else would notice, she did. She noticed how he especially watched her more closely when she went into human villages to buy things. She could tell too that, for some odd reason, he **DID NOT** like her talking to boys her own age. It seemed to especially bother him when they would approach her to ask her the simplest of questions. In fact, he had scared a couple of them away just a few days ago. Rin couldn't figure out why either.

To be honest, she had no idea what was going on with her anymore. One moment, she would be perfectly happy. The next, she would be sad and cry over nothing. She couldn't understand it. She hardly ever cried. Even back when the villagers used to beat her as a child she hardly ever cried. It was as if she couldn't control her emotions anymore! She had even started thinking up questions about things that Lord Sesshomaru could not answer. He said that they were "women's concerns" and walked away. So, the next day she did just what she thought he told her to do. She took off and found her only two female friends in the world to ask them her questions.

Kagome and Sango had both been surprised at her sudden appearance. They were amused by her questions, but seemed to enjoy answering them. Although, she just hadn't benn quite brave enough to ask why she now thought that boys she used to just play with were now handsome. She just didn't think that it would be appropriate. She didn't dare ask Lord Sesshomaru. She didn't think that he would like that question very much. Then again, he wasn't very happy when he found her with Kagome and Sango either. He seemed like he just couldn't make up his mind lately.

Kagome and Sango were especially not happy when he showed up. In fact, they screamed bloody murder and called him a "pervert". She assumed it had been because they were in the hot springs bathing at the time. They also weren't happy when Inuyasha and the monk had come running up and stared at them. All this had caused Inuyasha and Sesshomaru begin fighting again, which had made Kagome and Sango madder. Later, Lord Sesshomaru lectured her a lot that about leaving without his permission and something about "embarrassing him around human females".

She realized then that talking to Kagome and Sango was not a good idea anymore. Still, she wanted what Kagome had called "girl time". She had thought a long time about what she needed to do to solve the situation. Finally, she came up with a solution.

Beaming from ear to ear, one day she had run up to Sesshomaru and hugged him tightly. Ignoring Jaken's outraged cries at the action, she looked up at Lord Sesshomaru and smiled as sweetly as she could.

"Lord Sesshomaru," she said brightly, "I want a new mother."

If Rin didn't know better, she could have sworn that he slightly disturbed for a moment.

In his usually stoic tone, he asked casually, "Do you wish to return to live humans, then Rin?"

Rin was horrified. "No! Never!" she cried frantically. "I will never go back!"

Tilting his head, Lord Sesshomaru calmly asked, "Then, how to you propose to get a new mother, Rin?"

All her fears dissipating, she smiled wide and spoke in the sweetest voice Sesshomaru had ever held the girl muster.

"You should take a bride, Lord Sesshomaru!"

Jaken fainted in shock. Ah-Un even seemed to be in shock. The whole forest around them seemed quite as if holding their breath to wait for the reply.

Lord Sesshomaru stared into the innocent face of the human child, or now young woman, who he had made a personal vow to care for.

Calmly, Lord Sesshomaru ran a hand through her hair and then patted her head.

"This Sesshomaru has no need for a mate, or "bride" as you call it. This Sesshomaru prefers to rule his lands alone. "

Seeing the young girl's cheery face start to fade, he added, "However, this Sesshomaru promises that he shall find you a mother. Through other means."

With one last pat on the head, Sesshomaru then turned and causally strolled away.

Rin remembered the scene in her head and couldn't help but think how sad it was for him alone. No one would choose to be alone, right? She had been all alone and it was no fun. She didn't want Lord Sesshomaru to be lonely. She had asked Jaken about the subject when he had regained consciousness and he, of course, began to yell at her. He informed her that no woman in the land was worthy enough to become the brilliant Lord Sesshomaru's mate. She thought about this. Then, she had silently made a pack to herself that night that she would find a woman who was worthy enough. Rin would find her somehow.

Rin was snapped out of her thoughts when the forested ended and she saw an open meadow. In the middle, Inuyasha and his friends all stood around an old well. Rin watched as everyone but Inuyasha hugged Kagome. He instead said something to her that made her angry. She said something back that made him angry. Then, Inuyasha turned and walked away. Only Rin could see the sadness that was in his eyes. He walked past the forest. Rin was surprised when he walked near her without even noticing her. _'He must be really sad,'_ Rin thought.

Frowning, Rin was about to make her presence known when a sight stopped her in her tracks. Kagome suddenly fell over the side of the well and straight into the dark water below. Instead of going to save her, all of her friends then simply walking walked away talking happily! What was going on? Hadn't they seen Kagome fall in?

Seeing them all leave, Rin sprinted out of the woods towards the well. She kneeled over the side and gazed into the darkness below. She couldn't see a thing. She shouted Kagome's name. No answer came. Rin looked around for some rope or something she could use to pull Kagome out with. She didn't see any find anything she could use, but she did see something green lodged into one of the stones. Picking it up, she held it up in the moonlight and realized that it was part of Kagome's skirt.

'_It must have torn off when she fell into the well!'_ she thought horrified.

Desperately, she braced herself to the side of the well and leaned over a little farther. She shouted Kagome's name louder and louder. Rin tried to calm herself realizing that she on the verge of panic. Then, there was darkness and the weird sensation of falling. The stone supporting Rin's weight had shifted and she had lost her balance. Before she even knew what was happening, the young girl was tumbling head first into the dark well. Somehow, she managed to catch herself on the well's wall and turn herself head up again. When she did, she felt a shearing pain shoot through her right leg. In that instant, she suddenly saw a flash of light.

Kagome was ecstatic again. Walking out of the shrine, she saw her grandpa waiting for her. He offered her his arm and he kissed her on the forehead in greeting.

"Well, we told Hinata that I was escorting you to a another doctor's appointment. I still don't know why you and your mother think that the well should be kept a secret though. We could make a lot of money on that well, you know. It could be a spiritual retreat. Besides, I've been hiding out here in the backyard for two hours!" he sighed.

"Grandpa!" Kagome sighed rolling her eyes.

She didn't even bother arguing with him anymore. He just didn't get it, did he? Didn't he realize how much danger could come from telling the world about the well?

"Kagome!" she heard her mother call.

"Mom!" she said running up to hug her daughter.

Souta stood watching them from a few feet away. Beside him stood the woman that Kagome had so wanted to see. She watched the exchanged in slight confusion.

"Do they always greet like that after being away from each other for two hours?" she asked the boy.

"Don't worry," he responded, "Kagome gets weirder."

The woman raised an eyebrow and smirked at the young boy's words. _'Typical little brother,'_ she chuckled to herself.

Mrs. Higurashi released her daughter and turned towards Hinata. Kagome and Grandpa followed behind her. Beaming proudly, Mrs. Higurashi stepped to the side slightly so that Kagome was right in front of Hinata.

"Hinata, this is my daughter, Kagome."

Bowing to Kagome, she said, "It is an honor to finally meet you. As much as your mother speaks of you, it is a pity that I have never actually met you before now."

Kagome nervously bowed and agreeing, said, "It is an honor to meet you as well. I'm sure you're very busy though."

"Not for the things that matter most," she replied smiling warmly.

Kagome's nervousness left with that smile. Kagome suddenly realized part of the reason why this woman was such a success at such a young age. She had the ability to calm those around her. Her smile had the ability to completely disarm you and she you could tell that she was trustworthy almost instantly.

_'I haven't made a fool of myself yet. So far so good.'_ Kagome smiled back

"Hinata has offered to take us out to dinner and then to the opera!" her mom said excitedly.

_'The opera… Great. I'll be asleep before intermission.'_ Kagome thought. She was just not one for opera. Not that she ever got to go to that many.

While her mom was still facing her, she saw Hinata wave her hands in a no gesture and mouth 'we'll convince her to go to the movies'. Kagome had a hard time keeping a straight face and she nearly burst out in laughter when she saw her brother's expression of relief. Confused, her mother turned her towards Hinata who acted as if nothing was ever said.

"I thought that your mother could use a break from cooking. I offered to cook originally, but it didn't work too well. So, now it's either take out or going out to eat. You're grandpa insisted on going out," Hinata explained.

"As long as you're paying for it."

"Grandpa!"

"Dad!"

"I'm sure you're dinner would have been wonderful," Kagome's mother said somewhat apologetically.

"She burned the rice," Souta stated.

"It wasn't that badly burned, Souta," his mother politely replied giving him a warning look.

"It lit on fire," he responded not taking the warning.

"It was a small fire," his mother countered with danger in her eyes.

"It caught the cabinets on fire," he continued.

"It's okay. We needed new cabinets anyway."

Kagome buried her head in her hands. Her mother shot her grandpa a warning glance.

"What?" he asked densely, "It's not like she can't pay for it."

_'Why didn't I just stay in the feudal era?' _Kagome wondered sadly.

"Well then," Hinata declared in an amused voice, "Remind me never to let you two ever meet any of my dates."

"Why not. We could warn them," Souta said with a smirk.

Hinata smirked slightly and placed her hands on her hips. In a smooth voice Hinata replied, "For that, you're sitting in the booster seat and getting a kiddy menu with crayons."

Kagome could stop herself. She burst out in laughter at the horrified expression on Souta's face.

"I'm staying here!'

"No, you're not," his mother informed him.

Souta looked trapped. The look he gave his mom said one thing: _traitor. _ Kagome laughed harder. Souta whined to his mom to make her stop laughing and her mom scolded his older sister. Still afraid, Souta looked to Hinata as if he was searching her to see if she would carry her cruel threat.

"You're pretty!" he said desperately.

Even Kagome's mother had a hard time keeping a straight face at that obviously desperate comment. A knowing smirk spread across Hinata's face and the laughter in her eyes was visible to all but Souta himself.

Finally, she winked at him and said, "You're forgiven. You might not want to make a comment sound so forced next time you say it to a woman though."

Kagome tried to hold in her laughter as she stared at them both. Still trying not to laugh, Kagome studied the her family's new visitor. Hinata wore nice clothes, but they certainly weren't designer clothes. She could tell that these were her casual clothes. She wore black spandex pants and a dark blue halter-top that had the smooth look of silk. While formfitting, her outfit was modest with nothing being too tight and no cleavage of any kind showing. Her halter-top even covered most of her small shoulders and the top part of her pants.

She had a matching solid blue handkerchief holding back the majority of her hair. Her hair flowed down her back with some locks spilling over her shoulders. Her hair was a velvet-like shade of pure midnight ebony that had a slightly wavy effect to it. Her skin was rather fair for an Asian woman and it deeply contrasted with her black hair.

Kagome briefly remembered her mother saying that Hinata was not Japanese and in fact came from some island somewhere similar to Hawaii. Looking at Hinata's eyes, she could tell that she was foreign. She had, of all colors, bright blue eyes! They practically glowed like jewels. Instead of traditional slanted eyes, her eyes were shaped more like those of a cat. It gave her a rather cunning appearance that seemed to hint at truly clever mind hidden deep within those deepths. She didn't know how much make up the woman wore, but she would swear on her life that that effect was not created by eyeliner.

Strangely, Hinata was not of a petite build like many Asian women were. She had a fuller figure that actually seemed to suit her more. She was not very tall, but those five-inch heels made up for any lack of height. Kagome guessed that the businesswoman used them to keep at people's eye level. This all combined, along with her own confidence clearly demonstrated by her proud posture, seemed to display an air of both feminine grace and yet undeniable authority. If ever there was a way to conduct yourself as a lady: this was it.

All in all, she was a very attractive woman. True, she probably was a normal beauty back on her own island home. However, her Polynesian features made her an instant exotic beauty here in Japan. Nevertheless, Kagome had a feeling that this woman could care less about her own beauty. She knew that this woman valued her wit and intelligence above beauty. Her kind nature, she valued even above her intellect, which was rumored to be very high. Hinata was said to be able to speak fluently in twelve languages alone. Kagome's mother had once told her that women of intelligence and power often intimate men. Kagome suspected that this was often true in Hinata's case.

"Well, then," Kagome heard her mother say, "We've decided on Kagome's favorite restaurant earlier, so lets decided on what opera to see."

"Well, I was actually thinking that we could save the opera and make it a girl's night out. I know that new Italian opera is opening up tomorrow night and I should be able to get tickets. Although, I might only be able to get tickets for the two of us," Hinata suggested.

"Well, I suppose that's okay. But, won't you all be disappointed you couldn't go too?" Mrs. Higurahi asked concerned.

"No, I'll be okay, mom."

"We'll be okay, mom."

"I'll just watch the yoga channel, Sakura."

"Well, okay then. Would do we want to do after dinner then?" their mom asked puzzled.

"A movie?" Kagome suggested as if it just popped into her head.

"Well, what do you and your brother want to see? No magic movies, Dad."

"Wait. Why not?"

"Oh! Roses Across the Years!"

"Eh! No chick flicks, Kagome! Besides, it's a remake!"

"Well, excuse me! We're not seeing some violent war movie!"

"Waters of Death isn't violent! Besides, it's made to represent real life!"

"We could see Sparky the Cuddly Puppy."

"Mom! Do you want me to be ashamed to go back to guy's karate?"

"Seriously, mom! Do you just come up this stuff to embarrass us? I'm almost eighteen!"

"Well, then somebody suggest something else."

"There's an injured girl in your backyard."

"Sounds like a chick flick again."

"Shut up, Souta!"

"Don't tell your brother to shut up, Kagome!"

"Not so loud. You'll wake the neighbors."

"Sorry, Dad."

"Sorry, Grandpa."

"No! There's really an injured girl in your backyard!"

All of them turned and watched as Hinata ran towards the injured girl who was limping through the yard towards them. Hinata reached the unnamed girl just as she began to stumble. Catching her before she fell, Hinata held picked her up and carried her over to the porch. Sitting down with the girl still in her arms, she examined her injuries.

"Her leg is bleeding heavily. Call an ambulance," Hinata instructed.

Sakura ran inside to call an ambulance. Kagome saw Hinata's hand going towards the hem of the girl's dress. Kagome braced herself for a gruesome scene. True, Kagome was no stranger to the sight of blood and injury. Traveling with Inuyasha in the feudal era had made her almost an expert. Still, Kagome never had and never will get used to the sight of children's suffering. Tensing, she watched as Hinata pulled up the girl's skirt to reveal a swelling ankle… and no blood.

Confused, Kagome questioned, "I thought you said that her leg was bleeding heavenly."

Without missing a beat, Hinata replied, "I said that she could be bleeding heavily. I was looking at the extent of her limping."

Alarm bells of some sort went off in Kagome's head. Something about this was not right. However, Kagome's mind froze when her gaze passed to the girl's face. Her blood ran cold and she went visibly pale. One horrifying thought with many frightening realizations echoed through out the corners of her mind.

_'It's Rin.'_

Authoress' note: Well, here's my 22nd birthday gift to myself. A new story developed with the first chapter posted on my birthday. Yay! I hope you enjoyed reading this and am looking forward to reviews. Be kind and please send reviews as a birthday present. Thanks! See you all next chapter!


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